"Two good women of Philippi, who had apparently been estranged. Women were
prominent in the founding of the Philippian church; Lydia was the first convert, and her
house was a home of the missionaries."

"This is proof that tensions in congregations are no modern problem. The focus on God is the best remedy when no longer ultimate, but preliminary concerns start to dominate our agendas. It alone guarantees â€œthe peace of God, which surpasses all understandingâ€� (4:7) -- and hence empowers us to overcome human differences."

"But Paul sees a different reality alongside the violence and duplicity of Rome. The small and struggling Christian congregation in the Roman colony of Philippi is itself a kind of 'colony,' a separate polis with a more powerful Lord who alone has defeated death."

"Paul is not just
advocating the power of positive thinking. This about more than technique
and persuasion. It is about filling one's mind with what Paul sees as the
signs of God's life - not so that will feel good, but because this is
another way of filling oneself with God's life and so allowing God's life
to flow through us to the world around us."

"Paul's concern is unity in the church, which can only arise once we recognize our redemption as coworkers for the Lord, giving us a spirit of gentleness, and thereby turning our sight from earthly matters that lead to petty squabbles, derision, and anxiety. Only then can we experience the peace that transcends all understanding."

"Gentleness is not passivity but spiritual judo to be
balanced and willing to be rebalanced as contexts change, to be interior
to the fear of another for the purpose of transformation of their sense of
balance."

"The Peace of the Season," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic
Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family
Activity, Support Materials.

"How have you slowed down this season?
How have you enjoyed this season?"

"Even those who have not yet come to
trust in him and love him will this Christmas hear the clamor at the
stable and will in their heart of hearts long for the truth of that which
they cannot yet believe. In his still hiddenness, his manifest fame
portends."

"This spiritual exercise of healthy thinking is
all important in living a healthy life. The more effective we can be
at thinking as Paul urges us, the more likely we?ll live a full and
healthier life."